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*tears out hair*
Man. Plotting is my kryptonite, and for some reason it's far worse with original fic than fanfic. I don't know why, but while I can more or less hold together a plot in fanfic, when I'm confronted with the infinite sea of possibilities that original fiction has to offer, it's incredibly difficult for me to settle on any given option.
Case in point is this sci-fi novel I've been working on. I've even gone so far as to write the first 5-6 chapters twice -- well, a lot more than twice, actually, but there's a major, plot-critical decision that I simply can not make, and I tried writing it both ways and still can't decide.
The decision that's flummoxing me is whether to set the whole story on Planet A (world which has colonies) or Planet B (world which is a colony of Planet A). The plot would still work in either case, and both options have pros and cons. If I set it on Planet A, then the plot is much tighter, and more focused on the main plot thread; setting it on Planet B introduces a whole host of complications and a large subplot that's really hard to eliminate without leaving a hole. Planet A also works much better thematically; it's just a whole lot tighter. However, setting it on Planet B solves a bunch of sticky plot problems as well, including making it easier to get the main characters in one place without relying too heavily on coincidence. Being able to contrast the two planets side-by-side also gives me a graceful way to explain the rather complicated political and physical mechanics of the universe -- if I keep it confined to the more limited canvas of Planet A, there's no opportunity to explain this stuff until pretty late in the novel, and some of it might never become clear without having to infodump.
Aargh!
For the writer types out there, do you run into that sort of thing, in either fanfic or original fic -- where you have two (or more) equally attractive options: you could have the main character be a cop or a hairdresser, for example, or you could go with pairing A/B or B/C, and you just can't decide, with either option seeming equally attractive? How do you handle it? Just say "screw it", pick an option and start writing? Do you outline it to see where each option would take you? Do you throw the story in a drawer and work on one that's less of a problem?
Case in point is this sci-fi novel I've been working on. I've even gone so far as to write the first 5-6 chapters twice -- well, a lot more than twice, actually, but there's a major, plot-critical decision that I simply can not make, and I tried writing it both ways and still can't decide.
The decision that's flummoxing me is whether to set the whole story on Planet A (world which has colonies) or Planet B (world which is a colony of Planet A). The plot would still work in either case, and both options have pros and cons. If I set it on Planet A, then the plot is much tighter, and more focused on the main plot thread; setting it on Planet B introduces a whole host of complications and a large subplot that's really hard to eliminate without leaving a hole. Planet A also works much better thematically; it's just a whole lot tighter. However, setting it on Planet B solves a bunch of sticky plot problems as well, including making it easier to get the main characters in one place without relying too heavily on coincidence. Being able to contrast the two planets side-by-side also gives me a graceful way to explain the rather complicated political and physical mechanics of the universe -- if I keep it confined to the more limited canvas of Planet A, there's no opportunity to explain this stuff until pretty late in the novel, and some of it might never become clear without having to infodump.
Aargh!
For the writer types out there, do you run into that sort of thing, in either fanfic or original fic -- where you have two (or more) equally attractive options: you could have the main character be a cop or a hairdresser, for example, or you could go with pairing A/B or B/C, and you just can't decide, with either option seeming equally attractive? How do you handle it? Just say "screw it", pick an option and start writing? Do you outline it to see where each option would take you? Do you throw the story in a drawer and work on one that's less of a problem?
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Of course, it does depend on your attitude to fanfic. For me, I see it as a place to play with my ideas - all of them - and if my writing improves, then that's an added bonus. But it's not my focus - in fact, I realised recently that I've been focussing so much on improving my writing/story-telling, that it had become a chore not a joy. So, future fics might not be as well-rounded as, say, The Journey, but I'm not going to apologise for that. It's either not get so worried and caught up in fine details, or stop writing once the current WIP is finished. I'm hoping people would prefer the former, not the latter! *bg*
There are other people, though, who see fanfic as a way to improve their writing and launch themselves into original fic and publication, and so they will take it much more seriously. But even then, you have more freedom to play with canon - and you don't have to world build from scratch, so it's easier too!
I don't think original fic is for me, though I have a greater admiration for those who can write it, and write it well, since starting my fanfic journey a few years ago! How do you do it? Hold an entire original world in your head? I struggle to world build for my SGA AUs, let alone from scratch! And original characters? Sometimes I can do them, but often not!!
No, original fic is NOT for me!! *bg*
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Yeah ... I honestly don't think it's an either-or thing, though. I started writing fanfic because it was a sort of playground for me, where I didn't have to worry about all those nitpicky little plotting and world-building details that I obsess about in original fiction ... not to mention bigger concerns of "where can I sell this?" and "Is this too long for this market?" In fanfic, none of that matters. It's marvelously freeing.
The fact that it's made me a better and more self-aware writer is a nice fringe benefit, but not why I did it in the first place. Actually, like you were talking about, the more pressure I put on myself to write well in fanfic, the less I write. I think this is one of the big reasons why I've written so much less lately than I did when I first got into SGA fandom.
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I wonder, would looking at how the setting effects the characters help make the decision? Where do you want the characters to end up (thematically as well as emotionally and physically)? How do you want them to be when they start? That might be one way to decide.
Or, it could be no help at all. :) The thought just struck me when I read your comment so I thought I'd pass it along.
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